Social Media Helpline for Kids Launching In Schools

With 92% of middle and high school students online daily, 24% of them "almost constantly,"* it's time schools had some help with social media! The Helpline's developers – #iCANHELP and Net Family News Inc. – invite you to contribute to a fundraising campaign at Indiegogo.com: http://igg.me/at/icanhelpline. The goal of the campaign is $25,000 to cover "construction costs" for piloting in California next school year – Web site construction, communications tools and staff training.

"The helpline will be the hub of a whole help ecosystem," said Matt Soeth, co-founder of #iCANHELP, "with real-time, research-based advice, help in reporting and escalating abuse in social media services, a directory of school policy and investigation resources and a growing, searchable database of school social media case studies."

"Contributions big or small are huge to the helpline," said Anne Collier, president of San Jose-based Net Family News. "This is about growing the digital literacy and citizenship of all members of school communities.”

Here's what we're talking about:

• A call center-plus: Schools can call during school hours for real-time help, but the Web site – which will include links to sources of specialized help and a directory of resources for prevention, incident response and policymaking – is 24/7/365. To be added as cases come in: an ever-growing searchable database of anonymized school case studies. The Helpline will also be a source of metrics & trends in school online safety issues for educators, researchers, policymakers and parents.
• Schools not individuals – We'll refer individuals to other great sources of help, but this helpline's specifically for schools. If a member of a school community has a problem, we'll ask him or her to work with us through their school.
• Working with social media: We'll help schools navigate sites and apps, report abuse and get content taken down that violates Terms of Service, providing the industry with much-needed local context as a trusted intermediary.
• Part of a global network of helplines in other countries that help each other and, with a growing collective knowledge base, help users resolve problems in a global medium.
• Unique among helplines in approaching students as part of the solution and building on established student leadership education and peer-mentoring practices.
• Deep Internet safety experience: Builds on more than 15 years in the Internet safety space, working with practitioners and researchers and advising Internet companies.

About us: Net Family News is a San Jose, Calif.-based national nonprofit organization founded in 1999 to educate the public and advise the Internet industry about research and developments in technology related to youth. #iCANHELP is a Bay Area-based national nonprofit organization that creates and promotes positive, school-based solutions & interventions to anti-social behavior online.

Please make a donation to the iCanHelpline campaign at http://igg.me/at/icanhelpline

*Pew Research Center's 2015 "Teens, Social Media & Technology" study

The Warnings Signs of Digital Dating Abuse

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.

Dating violence is no longer about physical and verbal abuse.  With the growth of digital age, people can be victims of online attacks and cruelty.

What is digital abuse?

Learn more at www.loveisrespect.org 

@Sophie Takes a #Selfie - Rules & Etiquette For Taking Good Care Before You Share

By J. J. Cannon

“Sophie” symbolizes every young girl, tween and teen (maybe even Mom or Grandma) in possession of a smart device, which the Author likens to a stick of dynamite if used without proper guidance. The whole wide world opens up to Sophie who can now be in constant communication with friends and share anything in an instant on her favorite social media site…but should she?

Sophie loves KiK-ing it and snapping selfies on Instagram but realizes that things can get complicated in a hurry! Why are people leaving mean comments? How come she wasn’t invited to the party she’s seeing pics of in her feed? Why are kids bullying each other with hateful and humiliating words? Sophie is not perfect. She is going to make mistakes but, together, we can try to guide her in a healthy direction.

With her own young daughters in mind, the Author gives us the #SweetSixteen, thoughtfully written “Rules” with a touch of humor, starting with #Keep It Classy. This first rule encourages young people to consider the many alternatives to overused, less than lady-like acronyms. “All of this LMFAO and OMFG-ing is worn out” Cannon writes, and laments the poor letter ‘F’ being needlessly dragged through the mud. The incredibly adorable illustration accompanying this rule is “My Fair Sophie”, a nod to the timeless brilliance of Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady”. #Be Kind, asks readers to refrain from using, liking or sharing hate speak of any kind and includes suggestions about what to do if you see it. #Beware the Over-Share asks young people to think about the kind of digital footprint they want to leave and consider future colleges and/or bosses who will likely Google first and ask questions later.

The overall message throughout the uniquely named, positive reinforcing rules like #Take 5, #Worry Not, #Practice Perception, #Be Queen Bee, #Find Your Balance, #Protect Your Privacy, and the rest is to stop and think before you react to anything online. “@Sophie Takes a #Selfie” is about self-love, self-respect and self-worth.

Sophie learns the proper etiquette for sharing, reposting or tagging photos or artwork without permission, along with the age old, still relevant “if you can’t say something nice…”, and stresses that it is not ever, under any circumstance, necessary to tell someone he or she is ugly. “You should just go kill yourself.” The sad fact is that some kids do.

This book includes some eye-opening social statistics and invites readers to continue the conversation with the Author on the site she has created specifically for this book. She shares current information pertaining to kids and Social Media and, should you find yourself in a sticky social situation, feel free to “Ask Sophie”.

Order today on Amazon.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.

It's time to talk about this topic, although many parents and youth think that it can never happen to them.

Talking about it and raising awareness are the first steps to ending it.

3 in 4 parents have never talked to their children about domestic violence.
 

What are some of the warning signs of a potential abusive relationship?

 

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationship. While there are many warning signs of abuse, here are ten of the most common to look for:

1. Checking your cell phone or email without permission.
2. Constant put-downs.
3. Extreme jealousy or insecurity.
4. Explosive temper.
5. Isolating you from family or friends.
6. Making false accusations.
7. Mood swings.
8. Physically hurting you in any way.
9. Possessiveness.
10. Telling you what to do.

It's important to remember that no two relationships are the same and these behaviors occur across what LoveIsRespect call the "Relationship Spectrum."  If you or someone you know sees the warning signs in their relationship, help is available.

 

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood

By Jennifer Senior

Thousands of books have examined the effects of parents on their children. In All Joy and No Fun, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior now asks: what are the effects of children on their parents?

In All Joy and No Fun, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior tries to tackle this question, isolating and analyzing the many ways in which children reshape their parents' lives, whether it's their marriages, their jobs, their habits, their hobbies, their friendships, or their internal senses of self. She argues that changes in the last half century have radically altered the roles of today's mothers and fathers, making their mandates at once more complex and far less clear.

Recruiting from a wide variety of sources—in history, sociology, economics, psychology, philosophy, and anthropology—she dissects both the timeless strains of parenting and the ones that are brand new, and then brings her research to life in the homes of ordinary parents around the country. The result is an unforgettable series of family portraits, starting with parents of young children and progressing to parents of teens. Through lively and accessible storytelling, Senior follows these mothers and fathers as they wrestle with some of parenthood's deepest vexations—and luxuriate in some of its finest rewards.

Meticulously researched yet imbued with emotional intelligence, All Joy and No Fun makes us reconsider some of our culture's most basic beliefs about parenthood, all while illuminating the profound ways children deepen and add purpose to our lives. By focusing on parenthood, rather than parenting, the book is original and essential reading for mothers and fathers of today—and tomorrow.

Order today on Amazon!

Your Teen Magazine

Parenting teenagers today is challenging, but there is a perfect magazine and website that can help you learn more about today's teens and what is trending.

• Social media
• Dating
• Peer pressure
• School
• Colleges
• Driving
• Friends
• Technology
• Sex
•  and much more!

Order your subscription today!  Visit YourTeenMag.com

Sticks & Stones: New Program Designed to Bring Parents and Teenagers Closer

The Sticks & Stones Seven-Week Program bridges the communication gap between parents and teenagers. The Program helps parents and teens learn how to work together to communicate more effectively and build a stronger bond.

Parents are always looking for new and creative ways to get their teens to communicate with them. Author Meaghan Roberts has just released her new program designed specifically to help parents create an environment where teenagers feel comfortable opening up.

The Program consists of two eBooks, Sticks & Stones and My Rock. Sticks & Stones is a self-help guide for teens concerning daily issues they deal with such as bullying, self-esteem and peer pressure. The guide is also an e-journal where teens can privately write their thoughts, feelings and questions. The purpose is to create a safe outlet for teens to express themselves. They will read one chapter a week and spend the remainder of the week reflecting and writing about what they learned. My Rock is a supplemental guide that gives parents insight on what their teens are reading each week as well as communicative skills to help facilitate a conversation with their teens. Each week, a day prior to reading a new chapter, parents and teens will meet to discuss what their teens have learned and any questions they have.

The Program is safe, secure and private.

Meaghan developed the Sticks & Stones Seven-Week Program because traditional parenting books offer advice to parents but none to teens. When parents apply the advice, their teens have no idea where the change is coming from. Teenagers are no longer children and can no longer be treated like children. The only way a parent-teen relationship can develop is if both parties are involved. The Sticks & Stones program encourages parents and teens to work together to build trust as well as prepare teens for conversations they will have with their parents.

The Sticks & Stones Program is available only at www.mysticksandstones.com

Contact Information
Meaghan@mysticksandstones.com

www.mysticksandstones.com

Mentoring Youths: Become a Mentor

Become A Mentor

Few bonds in life are more influential than those between a young person and an adult.

As you begin your journey toward becoming a mentor, you will need to thoroughly understand the role of mentoring. Look at a role you are already familiar with. Most of us have had a supervisor, a boss or coach who has made a positive difference in our lives. Those people wore many hats. They acted as, delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, and friends. As a mentor you will wear these same hats.
Mentors understand the need to assume a number of different roles during the course of a mentoring relationship, but successful mentors also share the same basic qualities:

• A sincere desire to be involved with a young person.
• Respect for young people.
• Active listener.
• Empathy.
• See solutions and opportunities.
• Be flexible and open.  

As you and your mentee begin your relationship; exploring values, interests and goals, you will find yourself making a difference and having a positive effect on their life. What you may also be surprised to see is that you will be learning more about yourself, too. Mentoring doesn't just affect the young person. Mentoring is a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Many mentors say that the rewards they gain are as substantial as those for their mentees. Being a mentor enables them to:

• Have fun.
• Achieve personal growth, learn more about themselves.
• Improve their self-esteem and feel they are making a difference.
• Gain a better understanding of other cultures and develop a greater appreciation for diversity.
• Feel more productive and have a better attitude at work.
• Enhance their relationships with their own children.
   

Good mentors are willing to take time to get to know their mentees, to learn new things that are important to the young person, and even to be changed by their relationship. Accept the challenges and rewards of mentoring a young person and experience the benefits that will last each of you a lifetime.

Go ahead—get started, find a mentoring opportunity today…

Learn more at www.mentoring.org.

Back to School: Show Your Support to Prevent Bullying This Year at School

It's around the corner!  Schools will be opening.  Parents are already collecting school supplies and getting ready for their child to be back on schedule.

Most know that bullies and cyberbullies never take a break.  While the school yard bullies may have been in the backyard - they will be back at school shortly.

With that let's start school this year with a remind to all our kids that they need to be upstanders! 

Order your STOMP Out Bullying wristbands today and encourage your friends and community to do the same.

Bullying is a choice.  Kindness is also a choice.  Choose to be kind.

STOMP Out Bullying™ focuses on reducing and preventing bullying, cyberbullying, sexting and other digital abuse, educating against homophobia, racism and hatred, decreasing school absenteeism, and deterring violence in schools, online and in communities across the country.

STOMP Out Bullying is a fantastic organization that continues to help thousands of children and families and this is an opportunity be part of their mission in making our world a better place for everyone.

To order your wristbands click here.

Take 5 for Your Dreams

By Paula Grieco and Liz McHutcheon

Created especially for teen girls, Take 5 for Your Dreams provides inspiration and doable steps for living your biggest, boldest dreams starting now.

It is an engaging daily guide packed with stirring quotes, beautiful and fun photography, keep-it-real essays, life experiences from teen girls, helpful resources, and daily Take 5 (minutes) actions -- all in a visually awesome and colorful format. Topics include getting in touch with what you love like crazy, being who you really are, understanding what really matters to you, stepping outside of your comfort zone, dealing with dream "crashers" and developing real-life superpowers.

Take 5 is based on two years of research and over 100 interviews with teen girls from diverse backgrounds and circumstances across the United States. It is designed to both inspire and provide practical steps for young women to identify what they really want and take easy actions to pursue their biggest, boldest dreams. This really can’t wait until next year or after high school or college or once a young woman gets settled in her career. That’s how lives pass wholly unexamined.

At a time when young women are inundated with messages about what they should look like and how they should act, Take 5 provides a refreshing alternative with a focus on understanding what really matters to you and how to take practical actions to achieve what you really want.

If you are a teen girl or know one this book was created for you! No matter what your life circumstances today it's time to begin making your unique, never-to-be-on-this-planet-again life all it is meant to be! The world needs your 1 in 7 billion contribution!

Order on Amazon today!

Also visit the author's website: What's Your Brave.

Wilderness Ventures: Teen Summer Camps

If you’re searching for traditional Teen Summer Camps or Teen Adventure Programs, you’ve come to a place where traditional turns into Exhilarating! Since 1973, Wilderness Ventures has been conducting unique Teen Summer Camps in many of the finest areas for teen summer camp activities in the world. Our teen summer camps and international adventure programs for teens combine an enriching group living experience with Outdoor Adventure and leadership skill training in a fun, non-competitive Wilderness Camp environment.

As the pioneering teen summer camp, Wilderness Ventures has been conducting adventure tours in the American West for 39 years. We conducted our first teen summer camp in 1973, visiting all of the most splendid wilderness areas in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. Today, we take great pride in running the best teen adventure camps in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and in several international destinations, including Central and South America, Europe, Australia and the South Pacific. Because of our vast teen adventure experience, our exclusive destinations, and the enviable degree of control that we have over the quality of our adventures, we are largely considered the best teen summer camp available to today's teens.

Learn more at www.wildernessventures.com and watch their video here.

Distracted Driving: 97% of Teens Admit to Texting and Driving

Recent AT&T surveys found that texting while driving is prominent among both teenagers and business commuters. Watch the video above.

See the findings from a new AT&T texting while driving poll, showing that nearly half of commuters text and drive. Learn about the risks of texting while driving and take the pledge at http://www.itcanwait.com.

97 percent of teens say texting while driving is dangerous — but 43 percent admit to doing so.

• Almost all teens (nine in 10) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less, which puts pressure on them to respond while driving.
• According to 77 percent of teens, adults tell kids not text or email while driving — yet adults do it themselves "all the time."
  AT&T Teen Driver Survey - Executive Summary
• Hispanic teens (54 percent) are more likely to admit to the practice of texting while driving than Caucasian (41 percent) and African American (42 percent) teens.

WAKE UP: STUDY REVEALS 75% OF TEENS REPORT INCREASED KNOWLEDGE FROM PRESCRIPTION DRUG PREVENTION PROGRAM

Orlando, FL ( April 3, 2013 ) – Results released this week by the independent research firm Touchstone Research Institute , reveal s the 2012 t een prescription drug abuse pilot program, WAKE UP!, to be a success . Compared to a benchmark survey of approximately 3,800 students conducted prior to the program launch, data shows that more than 75 percent of all respondents were significantly more aware of the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription drugs.

According to the U.S Office of National Drug Control Policy, most teens initially get prescription pills from family and friends, including straight from home medicine cabinets. Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States. More than one - third of those abusing prescription drugs in the U.S. are between the ages of 12 - 17. Deaths from prescription drug overdoses h ave become the second leading cause of accidental deaths nationwide, and the leading cause in as many as 15 states.

WAKE UP! , established by The Pain Truth, a Florida 501(c)(3), was implemented in to five pilot schools , thanks in part to a grant from Millennium Laboratories, three in San Diego, CA, and two in Tampa Bay , FL. T he objective of the in - school prescription drug educational program i s to raise awareness, increase knowledge, and change perceptions co ncerning the misuse and abuse of controlled prescription medications among high school students , providing students with knowledge to make better decisions and prevent first use. WAKE UP! us es multi - media, social marketing and other tactics that are familiar and appealing to teens, but WAKE UP! program developers believe the real motivating force is the science - based facts presented to the students.

 Read the complete press release here.

Visit www.wakeupnow.org for more information.

Community Empowerment Series II: Dr. Michele Borba

Michele signing books.

Dr. Michele Borba, Parenting and Bullying Prevention Expert, was featured at the Community Empowerment Series in St. Johns County on Saturday, March 9th, 2013.

It was a full house with parents, students, teachers, guidance counselors, principals, deans, therapists, kids that started anti-bullying programs and residents that wants to make a difference in our community.

If you didn’t know about bullying and how it effects children before this seminar, you certainly learned about it coming out of it.  Many were brought to tears hearing about the story of the young boy that hung himself.  Though many of us know that these are not isolated stories when children are teased and harassed relentlessly both online and off.

Dr. Borba opens her lecture by asking everyone to introduce themselves to the people around them.  Yes, let’s get to know our neighbors and be nice!

Dr. Borba would frequently ask the audience to stop, and take a minute to write down exactly what she just said and what it means to them.  What are they going to learn from this–how will they implement this into their life.  (Honestly, everyone was busy taking notes, but it was nice for her to take a break for a few seconds so we could catch up on our notes)  She is like a walking talking encyclopedia.

Bullying has been found to happen in four major hot spots at schools:

1. Cafeteria
2. Hallways
3. Bathrooms
4. Playground

Michele talking about bullying prevention.

As a matter of fact, over 43% of children fear going to the bathroom at school for fear of being bullied.  Every 7 minutes a child is bullied on a playground.

Dr. Borba recommends you speak with your kids about a P.L.A.N.:

P:  Pal up always have a friend with you
L:  Let an adult know if you are being bullied
A:  Avoid those hotspots
N:  Notice your surroundings, stay alert

If you see someone being teased or bullied or you are the victim, it is important to stay C.A.L.M. according to Dr. Borba:

C:  Calm down
A:  Assert – be assertive
L:  Look at  the bully eye to eye (Dr. Borba’s tip is to loo at the color of their eye’s)
M:  Mean it 

After her almost 2 hour speech, she took time to speak with students and the audience and signed books for people.

St. Augustine is anxious to have her back again next year!

Watch a preview here.

LIONS and TIGERS and TEENS: Expert advice and support for the conscientious parent just like you

Order today!

By Myrna Beth Haskell

LIONS and TIGERS and TEENS is a compilation of the best installments of Myrna Haskell’s popular, syndicated column for parents of teens, teachers, siblings, grandparents… or anyone who interacts with today’s youth. Also included are several installments that have never before been published, now available exclusively to readers of this promising new book from Unlimited Publishing LLC.

This guide is a lighthearted journey through the ups and downs of raising teenagers. But it also provides serious, practical advice, brimming with tips from dozens of experts in the field. In addition, real-life lessons from more than 100 everyday parents and teens are shared, showing you what works in practice, as well as theory. Readers are invited to submit their own “Tips & Tales” at http://www.myrnahaskell.com for possible future publication.

The book covers a wide range of universal topics that parents of teenagers face, such as how to handle a teen’s first time behind the wheel; how to deal with lying; setting and enforcing curfews; and many more issues commonly faced by teens and those who care for them.

Order today on Amazon!

That's Not Cool

Your cell phone, IM, and online profile are all digital extensions of who you are. When someone you're with pressures or disrespects you in those places, that's not cool. That's Not Cool provides tools to help you draw your digital line about what is, or is not, okay in your relationships.

That's Not Cool is a national public education campaign that uses digital examples of controlling, pressuring, and threatening behavior to raise awareness about and prevent teen dating abuse. That's Not Cool is sponsored and co-created by Futures Without Violence (formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund), the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, and the Advertising Council.

For more information on That’s Not Cool, get in touch with Futures Without Violence here.

Be Prepared Period

I recently discover a truly cool site for parents of daughter and young girls.  I think of how great this would have been when I was young!

Did you know that today girls are hitting puberty at a younger age than ever before?

A site about periods, you say? Is that really necessary? After all, isn’t that what parents and sex education classes are for?

The truth is that nothing can be further from the truth. 

In fact, for girls and their parents, no matter how loving and involved, ‘growing up’ can be a difficult, confusing albeit beautiful phase of life - that is often misunderstood and laced with silent shame. Especially when it comes to sexual development and periods.

So one intuitive and determined mother, finding herself in the midst of puberty with her own daughter decided to do something about it. She found it conflicting that there was nothing on the market that she could give to her daughter, to mark this special time in her life. So she created one, and she made a vow to go one-step further!

To also educate. 

To make resources for parents and girls readily available and easily accessible, as they SHOULD BE. To ease the transition so it becomes one of empowerment rather than shame – of celebration rather than confusion.

And most importantly, to spread the word, so that ALL girls and ALL parents could benefit from the truth about menstruation and puberty, which starts with the fact that it is 100% normal and completely natural. (And these days, starting earlier than ever)

Branching Out – How Be Prepared Period Has Grown –

What started out as a homegrown business to provide girls with a special gift that they could be given when they started their periods has turned into a full throttle platform to raise period awareness and ensure that girls and parents readily find the information and resources that they need, when they need it.

Since development, Be Prepared Period has added the following enhancements to their site, with many more planned in the future!

• Constant flow of new and accurate information for girls and parents throughout all pages of the website. With girls now experiencing puberty at younger ages than ever before, many parents and children are completely unprepared. The information on the site is compassionate, and designed for everyone involved.
• Specific areas for parents and other women to share their personal stories about puberty and menstruation, which can be the best way for young girls, women and parents to feel like they are not alone in their worries and struggles.
• The steady introduction of new products, many of which are organic, natural and eco friendly so parents, young girls and women can find the best products for them.
• Convenient monthly subscription offers for the delivery of feminine hygiene products which avoids ‘embarrassing’ trips to the store and ensures that all girls (of all ages) have what they need.
• Availability of gift certificates, which makes supplying a loved one with supplies discreet and easy.
• Blogs, Monthly Tweet Chats, Giveaways, and Savings all geared to empowerment and education.
• PeriodTalk, an online Question & Answer forum covering all period and puberty related topics.

Another extremely important aspect of Be Prepared Period’s growth and mission is to reach as many girls, women and parents as possible – on a global scale, so that nobody feels alone, anguished, or confused when it comes to menstruation.

In so many cultures around the world, menstruation is seen as a momentous and celebratory time, in which a young girl takes her first step across the bridge of womanhood.

Be Prepared Period is determined to bring that same sense of sanctity about puberty and menstruation to girls across the globe. We strive to work with like-minded individuals and organizations who believe in helping others. If you are one of them, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Most recently, we have partnered with You-ARE-Loved, a non-profit, which is helping to save the lives of girls around the world by raising awareness about Toxic Shock Syndrome. Through this alliance, monthly tweet chats have been launched which expand our ability to reach and educate parents and girls about everything they need to know to not just ‘get through’ this phase of life….but to blossom.

Learn more at http://www.bepreparedperiod.com/.d you know that today, girls are hitting puberty at a younger age than ever before? 

Did you know that today, girls are hitting puberty at a younger age than ever before?

Microsoft: Always Putting Safety First!

Encourage your teens to participate in the Safer Online Teen Challenge!

Exactly how much do your teens know about Internet safety?  Let's find out and they could win big!

Every parent worries about their children both online and off.

Who are they talking to online?  Are they chatting with strangers?  What information are they sharing?  Does your teen or child know the boundaries?

Let’s face it, you can never be safe enough or secure enough–there is always something new to learn!
Encourage your teens to participate in The Safer Online Teen Challenge by Microsoft!

The Challenge is an interactive contest where teens can teach others how to manage their digital lifestyle by creating a song, video, skit or other original work. It’s a perfect way for teens to put their own spin on how they navigate digital safety.

Here’s how it works:

• Teens ages 13 to 18 (where applicable), select an online safety topic from either the Microsoft Safety & Security Center or the “Resources” tab of the Safer Online by Microsoft Facebook page.
• They create their work of art (using one of Microsoft’s five categories: skit/presentation, video, story/cartoon, song, survey) and submit their entry by April 12 on the Challenge website.
• Then, Microsoft’s Safer Online Facebook fans will vote to select the winners of each category. Microsoft will post the winning entries on their website and the winners will receive prizes like tablets, gaming systems and more.

Check out the prizes!  Follow the Microsoft Safety Team on Twitter!

You have the opportunity to win cool prizes! One first and one second prize will be awarded in each category.

Thinking Teenagers

A new site for parents and teens!

Thinkingteenagers.tv is all about helping to inspire positive living, we see this as a good addition to great parenting. Think of it as giving your teenager a book of life, for insights, direction, and inspiration.  Most people like the idea of a good book, this is a slightly different form with more of an edge. 

Why not look at some of the chapters with your teenagers? It's different, informative and a great way to pick up on past conversations.

There are lots of great video interviews inside, some sad, some shocking, some informative and some inspirational.  Life’s diverse and we’ve tried to capture some of the important parts that might be relevant to your teenagers growing up.

Thinking Teenagers would be a great addition to your family for 2013.

Click here to view the chapters.

Follow Thinking Teenagers on Twitter.

WAKE UP: Be Sure to Safeguard Prescription Medications Before Welcoming Guests In

Tis the season of giving, but as you invite family and friends into your home for holiday festivities, beware – for some, it is also the season for taking. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, most teens initially get prescription pills from family and friends, including straight from home medicine cabinets.  And it’s not just teens.  

Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States. Deaths from prescription drug overdoses have become the second leading cause of accidental deaths nationwide, and the leading cause in as many as 15 states.

“Prescription pill abusers are no different than those that are addicted to illicit drugs like meth or heroin.  They will go to great lengths to get their fix. I can’t stress enough the importance of safeguarding your medications,” says Lora Brown, MD, a Pain Management Physician and Medical Director for WAKE UP!, a community educational campaign created to combat the increase in prescription drug abuse among teenagers.

Brown says that you should always safeguard your medicine, but it’s especially important during the holidays when friends, family, neighbors and sometimes strangers are invited into our homes.  Don’t discuss what medications you are taking with anyone but your medical or mental health team, and keep the medications in a secure place at all times. Often these medications are stolen from medicine cabinets and nightstands. Addicts have been known to break into homes where they suspect they can find meds, as well as assault someone who is in possession of the prescription medication they desire.

About WAKE UP!:

WAKE UP! is a community educational campaign established by The Pain Truth, a Florida 501(c)(3), to combat the increase in prescription drug abuse among teenagers. It is designed to use science, not scare tactics, to educate teenagers of the effects and dangers of prescription drugs. The program uses a school “takeover” approach to reach thousands of students and their families with an extended program designed to teach not preach about the dangers of abusing and misusing prescription drugs. This program is unique in many ways. One of the most important aspects is sustainability through a school-based CORE of students and educators that remain present and active long after

the original campaign is complete. 

Follow them on Twitter and use hashtag #WAKEUP